


First Trip

by AlexanderPeterson



Series: A Little Unconventional [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex has some abandonment issues, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Coming In Pants, Dirty Talk, Domestic Fluff, Everyone is pining and no one knows about it, Herc and Laf are SO FUCKING BAD AT COMMUNICATION, Herc is actually fucking filthy and I was NOT expecting him to come out like this but I'm digging it, John has issues with feelings, M/M, Multiple Orgasms, Negotiations, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Praise Kink, Sexual Tension, Shower Sex, all the sex tags will be relevant in chapter 3, holy shit this got so filthy and i have no idea how that happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-10 08:10:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6974953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexanderPeterson/pseuds/AlexanderPeterson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John, Alex, Laf and Herc decide to take a trip upstate to the animal rescue John runs. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
<p>(hint: everything)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Welcome back to this little adventure. If you haven't read “Stand Up Guy” I suggest you do that first, as this is the second story in the “A Little Unconventional” series. You could read it on it's own, but I feel like it might not make as much sense. But what the heck do I know. You do you.
> 
> Enjoy!

XOXO

 

_One month later..._

 

The first thing John noticed when he woke up was that he was warm, and he smiled. Alexander's arm was across his chest and he was pressed up close behind him. He could get used to this. In the month since they had started dating, rarely a night went by that they were apart. It was nice. John hadn't felt this loved since before his mother passed away. He laughed quietly to himself when Alex started mumbling in his sleep, squirmed around so he was facing him and lost his breath. The early morning sun was filtering through his shades and casting perfect lines of light over Alexander's face. His hair had mostly escaped the bun he had put it up in before they went to bed and was falling over his eyes. John smiled and brushed a few strands away gently, kissing his forehead softly before wiggling out of his arms. The best part of sleeping with Alexander was actually getting to watch him sleep the next morning. He didn't sleep often, a confession that he had made the night of their first date when John had woken up to find him writing in the kitchen. But when he _did_ sleep, he slept like the dead, and John could sneak away to make him breakfast. It felt strangely domestic, especially when Alex would come out and thank him, kissing him on the cheek and calling him honey. But again, it was nice. He felt loved and appreciated with Alex around.

“What time is it?” Alex yawned as he came into the kitchen, the sounds and smells of breakfast no doubt waking him.

“Almost nine now. I figured I'd try to let you sleep in a little today. We've got a long drive later.” John didn't look up from the eggs but smiled when his boyfriend wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in close, kissing him on the cheek before resting his chin on his shoulder.

“Are you cooking for an army? Goddamn.” He whistled, looking at the pans on the stove top.

“Kinda. Lafayette sent me a text a little bit ago saying that he and Hercules would be here around nine thirty instead of eating at Laf's and coming over here at noon.” He explained with a huff. Alex hummed and looked at the clock. “Don't even think about it.” He gave him a playful swat on the arm. “This is almost done. Can you grab some plates for me?”

“Fun police over here.” Alex sighed dramatically, turning to reach up into the cabinets and jumping when a towel snapped against the back of his thigh.

“Who are you calling 'fun police'?” John teased, rolling the towel again.

“You're in for it now Laurens.” Alex grinned, grabbing the towel when John snapped it again and pulling him in close.

“Oh? And what are you gonna do about it Hamilton?”

“I'll let your eggs burn.”Alex kissed John soundly, pulling him in close.

“You wouldn't.”

“Oh but I would. You underestimate me John Laurens.” John laughed when Alex tucked his head in against his neck and nibbled on his shoulder.

“You monster!” He tried to push away but Alex's arms were locked tight around his waist and he was grinning.

“Give it up John.”

“Not on your life.” John let himself go limp and when he fell, Alex's hold loosened just enough for him to slip free.

“Crafty.” Alex laughed and ran his fingers through John's hair. “But I still have you right where I want you.”

“You beast.” John laid his accent on thick. “Takin' advantage of a nice, decent Southern boy while he's just tryin' to make you breakfast.”

“ _Eh bien, le beau garçon du Sud décent aivait dû savior mieux que de laisser un homme dangereuxdans sa belle maison._ ” Alex grinned down at him.

“ _Je suppise que je devrais avoir._ ” John got to his feet with the help of his boyfriend and went back to his eggs, moving them around to make sure they hadn't actually burned while Alex went to set the table.

“Hey John...?” He called. He sounded hesitant.

“Yeah?” John didn't turn around, he was scooping piles of scrambled eggs into a large bowl and turning off the oven timer, but he heard Alex take a deep breath before speaking again.

“I love you.” He almost dropped the pan he was holding and froze. “John... Please. Say something. Anything.” Alex pleaded. “You don't even have to say you love me back, just please say _something_.” John turned around and Alex was standing in the archway between the kitchen and dining room, his hands twisting into knots in front of him.

“I love you too.” He smiled, closing the distance between them and taking his hand, and kissing him sweetly. John was so wrapped up in hissing Alex that he didn't notice the front door opening to let Lafayette and Hercules in. He was content to just stand there and make out with his boyfriend until the loud snap of a towel and Alex's yelp of pain brought him back down to earth.

“Et tu Lafayette!?” Alex was holding the back of his knee and leaning against the wall. “ _Merde_! That hurt! If this is the Lafayette coming on vacation with me, I don't want him to come.”

“Shut up you big baby.” Lafayette huffed, kissing him on both cheeks. “ _Comment vas-tu mon amour_?”

“ _Vraiment super. John et je viens de dire Je t'aime pour la première fois._ ”

“ _Alexandre_!”

“ _Félicitations mon amour_!” Lafayette turned to kiss John on both cheeks, hugging him tight, his lips lingering maybe a little longer than was necessary. “ _Je vous ai dit qu'il vous traiter droit_.” He whispered.

“Guys.” Hercules cleared his throat. “This seems like a really touching moment, but I wouldn't know. English please.”

“Sorry _mon cher_.” Lafayette laughed.

“Hey Laf, _nous dire à nouveau combien Hercules est au lit_.”

“ _Vous êtes terrible_!”

“I heard my name in there. What did he say? Are you talkin' shit Hamilton?”

“Always.” Alex grinned, punching Hercules playfully on the arm as he passed. “Now come on. My wonderful boyfriend was kind enough to make breakfast for us losers. Don't let it get cold.”

 

Breakfast was a noisy affair, but what more could be expected from four twenty-somethings. John was sandwiched between Alex and Lafayette who were jabbering on about a case, sometimes slipping into French for a moment before Hercules would kick one of them under the table and mutter something about feeling left out. Lafayette huffed.

“I have offered to teach you.” He pointed out.

“You're too fast.”

“I could teach you.” John offered. “French was my third language, and I'm not quite as fluent as these two.” He gestured to Alex and Lafayette on either side of him.

“Thanks John.” Hercules smiled and John froze up, his heart skipping a beat.

' _No. No no no no no no. Don't. John don't._ ' He reached for Alex's hand under the table but with the rapid fire French coming from either side of him, he spaced and forgot that Alex was on his left.

“John?” Lafayette gave him a quizzical look and he yanked his hand away so abruptly that he almost tipped out of his chair. He would have fallen over if Alex hadn't been there to catch him.

“John are you alright?” He asked, wrapping and arm around his shoulders. John felt his face heat up with embarrassment.

“I'm fine...”

“John ¿ _lo que es amor mal_?”

“Alex, _estoy bien. No se preocupe_.” He whispered back, going back to his breakfast and not looking back up.

“Okay, I see how you get annoyed.” Lafayette reached over to take Hercules' hand and rolled his eyes.

 

John's heart wouldn't stop racing. Alex and Lafayette wouldn't stop giving him strange looks and he couldn't look Hercules in the eye. It hadn't even been one hour since he had told Alex that he loved him and here he was thinking about a single kiss he'd had with Lafayette a month ago and wondering what if felt like to be wrapped up in Herc's arms. He cleared his throat nervously when he stood up and grabbed his plate.

“I'm gonna go finish packing.” He muttered, looking down at his feet. Alex opened his mouth like he was going to say something but closed it instead and just stood to kiss him on the cheek.

“I'll start on the dishes okay?”

“Thanks.” John leaned in to kiss him properly on the mouth before smiling and heading down the hall to his room. He didn't know how long he had been standing in front of his open closet but a gentle knock on the door shook him from his thoughts.

“John? Can I come in?” Hercules was standing there, his frame almost filling the doorway.

“Yeah. Yeah, come on in.” He sat down on his bed and Hercules joined him a moment later.

“What's up John? What's got you all wired?” Hercules put a hand on his shoulder and he slumped. “It's the trip isn't it?” He looked up at the tailor.

“What makes you say that?” He asked.

“Well, it's your first trip together isn't it?” John nodded.

“But we're together constantly. It shouldn't be a big deal.”

“Going out of town with someone is always different than staying home with them. But you shouldn't worry. You and Alex are so good together, I don't think anything could come between you.”

“Thanks Herc.” John smiled weakly. “Are you freaking out about you and Lafayette at all? This is your first trip with him isn't it?” Hercules shrugged.

“I guess I'm more excited than anything really.”

“Do you love him?”

“Yeah. I think I do.” Hercules smiled fondly, looking in the direction of the kitchen where Alex and Lafayette's voices were coming from. They were singing loudly (and badly) in French. John smiled but his stomach rolled with guilt.

“I'm sorry.” He blurted out. Hercules gave him a curious look.

“For what?”

“I kissed Lafayette.” His face was going red again. “The night I was supposed to go on my first date with Alex and you two were supposed to go out. We went on a date together because you two never showed up and when he dropped me off here I kissed him, I'm sorry.”

“Calm down Laurens.” Herc was laughing. Why was he laughing?

“What?”

“It's chill man. We weren't together yet or anything. Hell, I hadn't even met him yet. Besides. That bastard's so charming, I wouldn't even be mad if you made out with him in front of me right now.” John's stomach flipped in a way he knew couldn't be healthy but he tried to laugh it off.

“Well call him in here then.” He joked, choking on the words a little.

“You're a good guy John.”

' _Damn his hands are big..._ '

“I'm glad we're friends.”

“Me too.” John smiled. He was going to be okay.

 

The morning progressed from there and John's guilt had left him. The four of them finished getting John's apartment back in order and when noon rolled around they all piled into Hercules' van, Herc and Lafayette in the front, John and Alex cuddled up in the back seat.

“No fucking in my van.” Hercules warned, giving them a look in the rear view mirror.

“I don't remember that being a rule.” Lafayette said casually, checking his teeth in the visor mirror. Alex snorted out a laugh and Hercules put his head in his hands.

“I don't think I want to sit back here anymore.” John looked down at the seat with one eyebrow raised.

“Don't worry _amour_. It happened on _Alexandre's_ side.” Lafayette's smirk could send a man to the grave and John was more than willing to take that grave.

“Fuck!” Alex jumped. “Laf! Switch seats with me!”

“Hamilton. You are twenty six years old.” Lafayette scoffed. “Don't be a child. It's not like that's anything new for you _mon petit lion_.” The van fell silent and John could see the blush creeping up Alex's neck as Lafayette climbed out of the front seat and tugged open the sliding side door. Alex scampered out not meeting anyone's eye and plopped down in the front seat while Laf slid in with John.

“Seat belts.” Hercules put the van in gear and pulled away from the curb, plugging the aux cord in and handing it to Alex. “You pick first kid.” He handed the GPS back to John so he could plug in the address to the rescue he ran.

 

XOXO

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and welcome! I needed a tiny break from “Hold Me Down”, got three chapters out in a week and I'm a little drained so we're back to this! It's a little dialogue heavy, and there's quite a few translations but... Eh.  
> Enjoy!

XOXO

 

The awkwardness from the curb evaporated quickly and soon enough the incident was forgotten. Hercules, the oldest of their little group, spent most of the trip yelling at the other three and trying to keep his old van on the road.

“Yes _dad_.” Alex rolled his eyes after Hercules smacked him on the knee and told him to keep his feet off the dashboard. John and Lafayette looked up sharply, staring at him.

“You're pushing you luck kid.” Hercules warned. “Next rest stop I'm stealing John and putting you in the back with Laf.”

“Don't make me sit with him!” Alex whined. “Why can't I sit with John?”

“I told you, no fucking in my van.”

“You play the petulant child well Alex. Tell me. Who's 'mom' in this little scenario if Hercules is _daddy_?” Lafayette teased, putting extra emphasis on 'daddy'. John swallowed hard and looked down at his phone.

“That would be, you.” Alex chucked a pretzel back at Lafayette who smacked it out of the air, laughing.

“John are you feeling okay?” He asked, putting a hand on John's forehead. “You're a little warm.

“Car sick...” He lied.

“Poor love. Come here. Let your Lafayette hold you.” John let himself be pulled in closer and laid his head down in his lap. Hercules peeked at them in the rear view.

“You gonna be okay kiddo?”

“Yeah...” He muttered into Lafayette's lap.

“Do you want to take a break?” Alex turned around in his seat and reached for John's hand. “There's a rest stop in a couple of miles. You never told me you got car sick.”

“Yeah, I could use some fresh air. I don't usually, but today's been a little hectic.” Alex smiled back and squeezed his hand gently.

“Alright. Go ahead and rest.” He let go and turned back to Hercules, asking him about business and turning down the radio a little. John closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing while Lafayette hummed and ran his fingers through his hair.

A few miles went by fast and before John could even sit up, Alex was opening the door for him and holding out a hand to help him out.

“You feeling any better?” He asked, looping an arm around John's waist and pulling him in close to his side.

“I'm fine hon.” John smiled. “Hey, walk with me for a minute.” He led the way to a small patch of grass with a few trees across the parking lot.

“What's up?”

“Nothing. Just wanted to sit with you.” He smiled and leaned up against one of the trees, sighing and looking up at the clouds. Alex joined him slowly, his knees popping. “Old man.” He teased.

“I'm a year younger than you.” He huffed back, laying down to rest his head on John's lap.

“Old.” John insisted, taking Alex's hair out of the messy bun he had put it in before they left and running his fingers through the soft black strands.

“ _Je t'aime._ ”

“ _Je t'aime aussi_.” He leaned down to kiss him and smiled. “You're great, you know that?”

“You're pretty great yourself Laurens.”

“Nah.” John shook his head.

' _I'm fantasizing about fucking our two best friends. I'm not that great._ ' He thought.

“You are though.” Alex sat up and held John's face in his hands. “Hey, about what Lafayette said before-” He started.

“You don't need to explain anything to me.”

“I do though...”

“Alex.”

“Lafayette and I used to be a thing, kinda. We didn't really _date_ per say, but we fooled around a lot.”

“And?” John raised an eyebrow. “Alex it's not a big deal.” He smiled. “How was it? I mean, he's a great kisser so-.”

“What?”

“We, uh, we made out a little that night that you and I were supposed to go out. When he dropped me off. It just kinda happened.”

“Oh. I uh.” There was a blush creeping up Alex's neck to his cheeks. “Um.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah. Totally great. Not picturing the two of you making out or anything if that's what you're thinking. Nothing like that.” Alex's voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “Was it anything like how our little make out session on our first date went?”

“No! No, he just kissed me outside while he waited for his cab. Is that okay?”

“It's fine. God what I wouldn't give to have seen that.” He paused. “Holy shit. Oh my god, no. That wasn't okay, what I just said. I am so sorry.” It was John's turn to blush. His freckles almost disappeared.

“That. That's fine. I was thinking the same thing. God we are awful.”

“The _worst_.” Alex agreed. “Let's not tell Lafayette and Herc about this, okay?”

“Deal.”

“Kiss on it?”

“Dork.” John smiled fondly, leaned in for a kiss and was pleasantly surprised when Alex grabbed his hair and licked into his mouth, moaning a little.

“Yo! Love birds! Let's go! You can make out all you want when we get to John's.” Hercules called from the van. Alex flipped him off without taking his lips off of John's.

“ _Allons-y_ _Alexandre_. I know your John has a lovely, sweet mouth but we really must be going.” Lafayette grabbed the back of Alex's shirt and pulled him away.

“You're a monster!” He complained. “The absolute worst!”

“Drama queen.” Lafayette huffed. John followed, laughing.

“You guys go ahead and get in, I'm going to run to the bathroom real quick.” John ducked into the small cement building, catching a little bit of an argument in French between Alex and Lafayette. He didn't hear the door open when he was washing his hands and jumped when he saw Hercules in the mirror behind him.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” John cleared his throat and grabbed a paper towel. He hurried out and slid into the back seat of the van with a pouting Lafayette before Hercules could say anything to him.

“What's your problem? Don't like sitting with me anymore?” He teased, elbowing Lafayette in the ribs.

“I _was_ going to sit with my _boyfriend_ for at least a little while but-”

“But I called shotgun!” Alex interjected. “I was having a lovely conversation with Hercules before we pulled over.” He looked insanely pleased with himself.

“Eh, _va te faire foutre_. John, how are you feeling _mon amour_?”

“Better. Still a little woozy though.” He leaned his head against Lafayette's shoulder and shot Alex a little smirk.

“Well you just lay right back down and rest. We'll wake you when we get a little closer to your place.” Lafayette guided John back to his lap and resumed his humming and playing with his hair.

 

John didn't really expect to fall asleep with all the noise in the van, but he did, so when Lafayette woke him up a couple of hours later he groaned.

“You snore.” Hercules commented over his shoulder from the front seat.

“And drool.” Lafayette added, wiping at John's cheek with his sleeve.

“Oh shut up. I usually don't. It's because of the angle I was sleeping at.” He grumbled.

“It's true. You're cute when you sleep John.” Alex pipped up.

“You shut up too.” John yawned. “Where are we?”

“I'm trying to compliment you!” - “About fifteen minutes away from the property.” Alex shouted and Hercules answered at the same time.

“Take a left at that light up there. This way's faster.” John instructed, pointing. Hercules followed his directions from there, turning off the GPS. “Take a right in about a mile. It's just a little dirt road. It's kinda easy to miss.” Hercules slowed down and kept an eye on the side of the road.

“Is that it?” He asked, pointing at a small dirt road with large oak trees on either side.

“That's the one.” John was grinning ear to ear when the van rattled down the single lane road, hitting every single pothole. Lafayette and Hercules complained about it but Alex looked as excited as John felt. “Hey, hey slow down!” He called out, Herc hit the breaks and before the van came to a stop, John yanked open the sliding door and jumped out, all three shouting after him. But he was off running and couldn't be bothered to listen to them.

“John!”

“Just keep driving Herc!” He shouted over his shoulder. “Almost there!” He was at a dead sprint now, laughing as he ran. He loved this place. He loved the fresh air, he loved how the ground gave under his feet, not like the hard pavement of New York City. “Lobo!” He called when he saw the main building of the center. He didn't get more than five steps closer to the building before he heard the lone howl and was blind-sided by a mass of fur that sent him tumbling to the ground.

“John!” That was Alex, the van had caught up with him and his boyfriend had jumped out. “Are you okay!?”

“Alex! Come here! Come meet Lobo!” John laughed, scratching the dog behind his ears while he licked his face.

“Is that a _wolf_?” Hercules asked, he and Lafayette following Alex.

“Yeah.” He sat up, grinning, dirt smeared across his face, Lobo yipping and panting happily, his tail wagging. “He showed up when he was just a pup. He wasn't even old enough to be separated from his mother so I raised him.” He hugged the wolf around his neck and buried his face in the thick fur, blushing when he saw the way his friends were looking at him. “What?”

“John that's incredible!” Lafayette took a step closer and Lobo moved to block him.

“ _É_ _l est_ _á_ _bien Lobo. Abajo_.” He sat off to the side of John and watched the other three warily. “He's just a big baby.” John assured them. “He thinks he's protecting me.”

“Well he's doing a good job.” Alex helped John to his feet and leaned down to hold his hand out for Lobo to sniff. “Does he respond to anything but Spanish?”

“Nope.” John grinned mischievously. “And no one else up here speaks enough Spanish to get him to listen.”

“You crafty little shit. I love you.” Alex laughed.

“He's beautiful John.” Lobo went straight over to Hercules and bumped his head against his hip.

“He likes you.” John smiled. “Here, watch this.” He circled around Hercules and wrapped his arms around him. “Lobo!” He whistled, patting Herc's chest. “Brace yourself. Lobo, _H_ _é_ _rcules llegado darle un abrazo._ _¡_ _A_ _ú_ _pa!_ ” He grinned. Alex was laughing.

“What did you- oof!” Hercules stumbled back a step when the wolf jumped up and put his front paws on his shoulders, standing almost as tall as him. “Hola.” He grinned, giving him a pat.

“Lobo, _abajo_.” John laughed, arms still wrapped around Herc's chest. “Anyone else want a hug?” He teased.

“I think I'll get on his level.” Alex laughed, kneeling down. “Lobo!” He called, holding his arms out and getting tackled to the ground. “Hi big guy!” He scratched behind his ears. “ _Ya sabes, eres muy afortunado de tener a John como su pap_ _á_ _._ ” He smiled. “ _Espero que como yo, robaba Me encanta tu pap_ _á_ _mucho._ ”

“What is he saying?” Lafayette asked, John's ears were turning red and there were tears in his eyes. He shook his head, smiling.

“Nothing really. Just small talk.”

 

…

 

Once everyone had said hello to John's 'child' they piled back into the van while he trotted away. Alex tried to wipe some of the dirt and slobber off of John's face before he kissed him.

“He's great.” He smiled.

“You haven't seen anything yet. You're gonna be in a puppy pile later.”

“Dogs are so great.” Alex sighed, tipping his head back and smiling.

“I'm more of a cat person myself.” Lafayette put in. “I like dogs though. I just prefer to have cats.”

“Well then I'll put you in a pile of cats. Park right up here. That's my cabin.” He pointed ahead to a smaller building off to the left of the main building.

“How often do you stay up here?” Alex asked, still holding his hand.

“I try to stay at least one weekend a month. Sometimes I stay longer or can't get up here at all though. I almost wish I could live up here full time.” He sighed. “But I love the city too. Besides, out here I wouldn't have you three busting in unannounced at all hours of the day. Actually... It's official. I'm moving up here full time. Bye guys it was nice knowing you.” He joked.

“Oh shut up Laurens. You love us.” Hercules countered from the front seat.

“You're right. I do love you guys.” John relented, leaning forward to kiss Hercules on the cheek. There was immediate laughter from everyone in the van so he didn't feel guilty.

Once the van was parked and all four had grabbed their bags John hurried ahead to unlock the front door and led the way inside.

“Alright. Kitchen, dining room and living room are down here, bedrooms are upstairs. One bathroom there.” He pointed. “And another between the bedrooms.” He explained, setting his backpack down. “I told Mary Eleanor I was coming up this weekend so she stocked up the kitchen for me. Feel free to help yourselves.”

“If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to get rid of us _Monsieur Laurens_.” Lafayette teased.

“Oh, I am. You two hang out down here for a minute, I'm going to show Alex where our room is.” John grabbed Alexander's hand before he had time to say anything and led him to the stairs.

“Keep it down!” Hercules called after them.

“We have cable!” John shouted back from the top of the stairs before tugging Alex into the first bedroom and pulling him into a kiss.

“Wow. Hi.” Alex laughed when they pulled apart.

“Hi.” John breathed back. “Sorry, I've been thinking about doing that all day.”

“Anything else?” Alex let his hands rest on the small of John's back and pulled him in closer.

“I was planning on letting you fuck me into the mattress. Unless you wanted to wait until everyone else is in bed.” John teased, pressing his hips against his boyfriend's.

“Are you kidding me?” He groaned. “I'll take any opportunity to fuck you.”

“I noticed that this morning. Trying to make me burn my eggs. You heathen.”

“In my defense!”

“Hmm?”

“You're really sexy first thing in the morning.” Alex leaned in for another kiss, nipping at John's lower lip until he gasped and let him slip his tongue between his lips.

“I love you.” John gasped between kisses.

“I love you too. You can't imagine how happy it makes me to hear you say that.” Alex smiled, running his fingers through his hair and kissing him again. “And I love kissing you.” He pressed his face against his neck. “God, John... Your mouth is perfect... You're perfect.”

“Alex...”

“I know. I know you don't like me saying it, that you don't believe it, but I think it's true. I think you're the most amazing person in the world.”

“Stop being sappy.” John whined.

“Sorry.” Alex grinned his lopsided grin and gave John's neck another little nibble. “But for real. You are the sexiest person I have _ever_ met.”

“Come here and kiss me.” John grabbed a fistful of Alex's hair and pulled him in again, backing over to the bed.

“What's got you all worked up baby?” He asked, covering John's body with his own.

“Just- I don't know okay?”

“John-” Alex broke off when his phone started ringing, 'If You Wanna Be My Lover' by The Spice Girls blaring from the speaker. “Sorry. Hold on.”

“Don't-”

“It's Eliza. I told her to only call me if it was an emergency.” Alex gave him a sympathetic peck on the lips and stood up. “Hamilton.” He answered. His face scrunched up a moment later and John could hear muffled yelling from the other end of the line. “Eliza what-? Eli- Hold on! Eliza!” He was running his fingers through his hair and pacing and John couldn't stop staring at him. “Tell her I'm not going to be back to the office until Monday.” He paused. “Well I'm not the only lawyer in that office Eliza! Send her to Burr! Fuck- send her to _Jefferson_ if you have to I don't fucking care!” He looked down at his feet. “I'm sorry I raised my voice. Look, just hold all of my calls until Monday. I'll deal with the fallout myself when I get back. Hey. 'Liza you're the best, okay? I'm sorry I got upset. Yup. Best of Wives, Best of Women.” He smiled. “Bye.”

“What was that about?” John sat up.

“Divorce case. The wife said I was the only lawyer she wanted to talk to.” Alex sighed, sitting back down next to John. “Mrs. Reynolds. I spoke with her a few weeks ago.” He flopped back and threw an arm over his eyes. “I'm sorry John.”

“Don't worry about it. Hot shot lawyer like you probably has a lot of stuff going on.” John teased and Alex peeked over his arm at him, smirking a little.

“How do you even make time to see a scrub like me?” He joked back. “So do you still wanna-”

“Jack!” John jumped to his feet.

“John?”

“That's my sister!” John called over his shoulder, almost tripping down the stairs. “Hey what the- What the fuck!?” He shouted when he got to the front door where Mary Elanor was standing stiff as a board with her hands up in fists, Hercules was bent over holding his nose and Lafayette had an arm around his shoulders.

“Who are these guys!?”

“Herc and Lafayette! I told you we were coming up here this weekend!”

“Oh my god I am so sorry!” She cried out. “I didn't realize you were already here and I saw this strange van in the driveway and I could see him through the window. Hercules I am so sorry!”

“We're good.” Hercules gave her a weak thumbs up. “Holy fuck you hit hard.” He tipped his head back and held out his hand. “Hercules Mulligan. Tailor to the weird lawyers and animal rescuers.”

“Mary Elanor Laurens. Sister to this loser.”

“ _Bonjour_ I am-”

“Don't.” Alex warned. He had finally caught up to John.

“I'll give her the short version.” Lafayette rolled his eyes. “Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette. Lawyer, boyfriend of the tailor. Just Lafayette is fine.” He held his hand out to shake as well.

“That's the short version?”

“Yes.” John, Alex and Hercules answered at once.

“And you?” Mary Elanor turned to Alex. “You must be Alex. John's told me a lot about you.”

“That's me. Alexander Hamilton. Lawyer, loudmouth, boyfriend extraordinarire.” Lafayette snorted and John elbowed him in the ribs.

“Loser.” John added. “Did you want to stay for dinner?”

“Nah. This is 'guy time'. I was just dropping some stuff.” She handed over a shopping bag.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. See you later Jack.” She leaned in for a hug. “See you guys later!” She waved as she left.

“Jack?” Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Old family nickname. I swear to god if any of you call me that I'm leaving you stranded up here with Lobo.” He warned. “You alright Herc?” He asked standing on tiptoe to get a good look at his nose.

“Yeah, I'm good. I don't think it's broken and it's not bleeding. Just hurts like a motherfucker.”

“Yeah, Mary Elanor hits like a beast. It's insane.”

“I heard yelling up there. What's up?” Lafayette called over from the kitchen where he was wrapping some ice up in a hand towel for Hercules.

“Mrs. Reynolds called the office again. Says she only wants to talk to me about her divorce.”

“Is that the really pretty one that was hitting on you last week? Long dark hair, lipstick that looked like it was made from the blood of all the men that had ever done her wrong?”

“That's the one.”

“And you didn't tell her you were fucking John? There's a picture of you two making out on your desk for god's sake.”

“My sex life isn't exactly something I like to discuss with my clients.” Alex blushed dark. “I'm hungry. Anybody else hungry?” He asked, heading for the kitchen. “I'll cook.”

“Alex?” John followed him closely. “You okay?”

“I'm fine babe.” He leaned in for a quick kiss. “Just... don't wanna talk about work while we're here. It's all a pain in the ass and I just don't want to deal with it.”

“Okay.” John kissed his cheek and hopped up to sit on the counter and watch Alex cook. He didn't know many recipes but the ones his did know were always amazing.

 

…

 

“Hey, I'm going for a jog.” John announced after dinner, pulling his shoes on. “The trail is about a mile long, so I shouldn't be more than half an hour.”

“Want me to come with you?” Alex asked from his spot on the couch.

“You? Alexander Hamilton? The man made famous for spending the most days in one spot binge watching Parks and Rec on Netflix? You're asking to come on a run with me? Mark this day on his calendar folks.”

“Oh shove it Laurens.” Alex huffed. “I thought you might want some company. It's called being nice. You should try it sometime.” He chucked a handful of popcorn at his boyfriend.

“Yeah, whatever. I'll be back in a bit. Don't burn my cabin to the ground please.” He gave Alex a quick peck on the lips and flipped Lafayette off when he pretended to gag.

“You're so vulgar John.” He put both middle fingers up and walked backwards out of the room.

 

The sun was starting to get low in the sky as John ran but he didn't really mind. Somewhere along the way, Lobo had caught up with him and was now matching him stride for stride. He was grateful to have Lobo around. He couldn't answer and of John's questions or give him advice, but it was nice to get out all the thoughts that were plaguing him. He finally dropped under a tree at the end of the trail and the wolf plopped down next to him.

“It's just weird, ya know? I don't have any feelings for _anyone_ in like, five years, then all of a sudden- all three of these great guys fall into my life and I'm just a wreck... Don't get me wrong, I love Alex. He's everything I've ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, but... Laf and Herc... I don't know. Am I confusing feelings with friendship again?” Lobo huffed and rested his head on John's lap. “Yeah buddy... Me too...”

He sat there for quite a while, content to just run his fingers through Lobo's fur and ramble. Sometime in the last half hour he had switched into Spanish, Lobo seemed to pay more attention to him that way, and even if he didn't, there was some comfort in knowing that not a lot of people that were here would understand him if they happened to walk by. And he was glad for it when he heard someone calling his name.

“Lobo, _traer a_.” He whispered, pointing around the tree. The wolf took off running and when he shouted in surprise, John recognized the voice as Hercules.

“Hey bud. Where's John? You seen him around?” From where he was hiding, John could just see Hercules bent down, scratching Lobo behind one ear. “You don't understand a word I'm saying do you?” He laughed. John whistled once, high and sharp and Lobo came charging back, Hercules following more slowly. “There you are.” He smiled. “Alex was getting worried about you.”

“How long have I been out here?”

“About two hours now.”

“Holy shit. I'm sorry. I just sat down to vent a little to Lobo. I didn't realize it had been that long.”

“Not a problem. I'll text Alex and Laf and tell them that I found you.”

“Don't tell them where we are okay? I want to talk to you alone for a minute.”

“Sure thing.” Hercules sent out the text and sat down next to him. “What's up John?”

“Have you ever secluded yourself from people for so long that when you got back out into the world you had a problem processing how people were acting around you?” He asked picking at the grass next to his leg.

“Yeah. Right out of high school. I went straight to college and didn't really do much at all. Went to class, kept my head down, didn't make any friends until my senior year. I couldn't tell who was just being my friend and who wanted to date me. I made a real ass out of myself.” He chuckled. “Why?”

“I'm kinda there right now... With you, Alex and Laf... I mean I know Alex is flirting with me. We're dating after all, but it's just... Sometimes I just can't tell if you two are flirting or just messing with me.”

“I think it's a little bit of both. On my end at least.” John looked up at him. “I mean, you're great John. Alex is lucky to have you.” Hercules smiled. “I would never, ever try to come between the two of you though. And neither would Lafayette. We love you both too much to do something like that to you.” He put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close to his side in a bruising hug.

“Thanks Herc.”

“I can stop if you want me to. And I can tell Lafayette to turn down the charm a bit too.”

“Nah. It's all in good fun.” John smiled, but his heart twisted when he said it, and he realized that he didn't want it to be in fun. He wanted to be able to tease them back. He wanted that to go somewhere. But he held his tongue and just laid his head against Hercules' shoulder and closed his eyes.

' _Just for a little while..._ '

 

…

 

When John opened his eyes again it was dark, he was warm and there was a soft voice singing. It took him a moment to realize that Hercules had pulled him into his lap and wrapped him in his hoodie. He closed his eyes again.

“What are you singing?” He asked, cuddling in closer.

“It's an old Irish lullaby. My mom used to sing it to me.”

“You have a nice voice when you're not trying to out-rap Lafayette.” John hummed.

“Hey. We take rap battles very seriously in this family.”

“Oh I've noticed. Who in your family is Irish?”

“My dad's side. My mom met him when she was going to school in Ireland and we lived there for a few years when I was a kid.”

“How was it?”

“It was beautiful. I miss it. Our next group trip should be to Europe. We can all visit my family in Ireland then Lafayette's in France.” He sounded wistful.

“That would be nice. I think Alex would love the idea.” John needed to stretch, but he didn't want to move. Hercules was warm and solid under him and his arms were wrapped around him protectively. “Keep singing?”

“We should go back...” Hercules hesitated.

“Just a little while longer?”

“You're starting to whine like Alexander.” He laughed but didn't make any move to move John from his lap.

“I don't whine. I pout, thank you very much.” He defended himself. Then Herc's hands were threading through his hair and he was laughing, then singing again. John leaned into the touch and closed his eyes. Hercules' voice was like warm honey, sweet and slow, and John could have listened to him for hours. But like all good things it had to come to an end and soon Hercules was maneuvering him off of his lap. In one last stubborn act of mock distaste, John latched his arms around Herc's neck, trying to keep him down, but he still stood, taking the smaller man with him.

“You're fuckin' strong dude.” He laughed, not letting go.

“You haven't seen me put Lafayette over my shoulder yet have you?” Hercules wrapped one arm around John's waist to help hold him up, effectively pressing him tighter against his chest. “And you're lighter than him.”

“If you can put Lafayette over your shoulder you could probably throw me and Alex around like rag dolls.” John breathed, the arm around his waist got tighter and fingers dug into his hip.

“I could.” Herc's voice was rough and strained in his ear. John felt lips on his neck and turned to catch them with his own. This was nothing like kissing Lafayette or Alexander. Instead of a spark in his belly that ignited on contact, kissing Hercules was like sitting down in front of a fire place with a glass of wine and a warm blanket. He was as solid as the earth itself and he kissed like he sang, slow and sweet and deep. John was the one to pull away first, eyes wide. He pushed himself away, maybe a little more harshly than necessary.

“Oh my god.” He whispered. “Oh my god... I'm sorry.” His voice came out small and choked. “I'm so sorry.” And then he took off running. The trail was dark but he knew it by heart. He ignored Hercules when he called out after him but heard him running to catch up. He knew he could outrun the other man. Hercules was strong but John was smaller and faster, he had run track in high school and his knowledge of the trails gave him a huge advantage.

“John wait!” Herc shouted. “Please wait! I'm not angry, please! I'm sorry!”

' _I'm sorry._ ' John wanted to scream. He ducked into the woods, tucking himself behind a tree and holding his breath. He had been far enough ahead that he wasn't worried about being seen, and sure enough, Hercules ran right past him, the flash light on his phone lighting the way, illuminating the signs that pointed him back to the entrance.

“John!” He called again. John shrunk in on himself, holding a hand over his mouth and trying to keep back the tears. He dug around in his pockets for his phone and turned it on once Hercules' footsteps had faded into the distance.

 

_20 New Messages_  
24 Missed Calls  
4 New Voice-mails

 

“Fuck.” He whispered, pulling up the texts first and scanning through them.

 

* _From A. Ham_ : You still alive out there? lol  
* _From A. Ham_ : Did Lobo finally turn on you and eat you?  
* _From A. Ham_ : John? It's been an hour. Why aren't you answering?

 

* _From French Affair_ : Alexander is panicking John. Where are you.  
* _From French Affair_ : This isn't funny John. Answer your phone.

 

* _From HUNKules Mulligan_ : John please come back. Alex and Laf are shouting at each other in French and I don't know what's happening.  
_*From HUNKules Mulligan_ : Don't make me come out there and bring you back John Laurens. I swear to god.

 

The rest of the texts proceeded in the same way, the last one was from Alex.

 

_*From A. Ham_ : We're all coming to look for you. I love you John.

 

He pulled open the voice-mails, biting his lip nervously. The first was from Alexander's number but Lafayette and Hercules kept interjecting. It was all teasing, like the first text messages. The second was another from Alex, he sounded scared, and kept switching between English and Spanish.

“John, baby. ¿ _Dónde estás_? I'm worried about you. It's been almost an hour and a half... _Si hice also mal, por favor, dime... Te amo..._ ” His voice cracked.

“Oh Alex... Baby no...” John whispered into the dark. “No, no, no honey you did nothing wrong...” The third message was from Lafayette, angry and entirely in French.

“ _Où diable êtes-vous Laurens! Alex est sur le bor de la dépression! Il pense qu'il a fait quelque chose de mal_!” There was a pause, John heard Hercules saying something to calm him down and was glad that he had been the one to find him. “ _Je jure devant Dieu si je suis le seul à vous trouver, je vais tordre votre joli petit cou_.” The fourth message was from an unknown number.

“Um, hey, John? This is Eliza Schuyler. I work with Alexander and Lafayette? I've been getting some weird texts from Alex and he asked me to call you and see if you were alright? Please give him a call when you get this and feel free to- hold on- Ang what the- John Laurens? Angelica Schuyler. You call Alex back _right now_. I will not have my maniac little brother busting into my apartment to cry on my shoulder if you break his heart. -Angie! Give me the phone! John, please call Alex. Text me anytime.”

John felt sick with guilt and when his phone dinged with a new text his stomach dropped.

* _From HUNKules Mulligan_ : Hey. Just got back to the cabin. I don't know where you got off to, but Alex is about to charge out there to find you himself. If you need space that's fine. I'll tell him that. I won't say anything about what happened. Come home soon.

John stuck his phone back in his pocket and fought back the urge to vomit. He had the tree best friends, and the best boyfriend in the world, and here he was, making them worry. Making them go out into unfamiliar woods looking for him. With the guilt there was warmth in his chest. There were three people that cared enough about him to get this worried. Even his own family hadn't cared enough to come looking for him when he had actually run away. He didn't know when he had started crying but he wiped the tears away with the edge of his shirt before getting back on the path and making his way back to the cabin slowly.

He heard the voices of his friends and boyfriend before he saw the porch light and the bonfire that had been lit, and when he stepped out of the trees he heard Lafayette shout something and Alex jumped to his feet, running over to John and throwing his arms around him and pulling him into a tight hug, his breath coming out in short, ragged gasps.

“John... My John...” He whispered, choking on his words. “John...”

“I'm here...” John soothed, running his hands down Alex's back and through his hair, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “I'm so sorry...” He whispered. “I- I didn't realize... I didn't even think that you would worry so much...”

“Why didn't you answer our calls?”

“I turned my phone off. I always do when I run out here. No distractions.”

“I thought you were mad at me...” Alex was shaking in his arms. “I was scared that I did something wrong and I didn't know what it was...”

“Alex, baby... no... Honey there is nothing you could do that would make me _that_ angry. I promise. If you ever do anything that upsets me, we can sit down and talk about it like rational adults, okay? I'll never run out on you like that.” John pressed a reassuring kiss to Alex's temple. “And I assume you would do the same for me.”

“Of course. But for the love of god just keep your phone on next time!” Alex punched him in the arm when he pulled out of the hug. “And what took you and Herc so long to come back here? We got his text that he found you like an hour ago.”

“I wanted to talk to him about some stuff and we just kinda zoned out. It's easy to do out there. It's like time doesn't exist.”

“Well you're luck it wasn't Lafayette. He's ready to kick your ass. He wanted to get the Schuyler sisters involved too.” Alex was starting to come back, laughing a little and reaching for John's hand.

“Oh they did. Eliza called me.” John squeezed his hand once.

“Oh my god. Did she yell? I'm so sorry. I didn't think she would actually call you.”

“ _She_ didn't. But Angelica did.”

“Oh lord. I'm even more sorry now. Angie can get scary.”

“Oh, hey. She said something interesting in the message. She called you her 'little brother'? And earlier, you called Eliza 'best of wives, best of women'. What was that all about?” Alex's face paled a little.

“Did she say that? Did _I_ say that?” John nodded and Alex ran his fingers back through his hair. “Eliza and I- we were married for a couple years, back before I even met Lafayette. We were Freshmen in college and well... Shit, John don't be mad okay?”

“Alex come on. What did I just say to you?”

“I know, I know. But this is kinda huge, okay? Like. Really huge and I'm a total dick for not being upfront about it.”

“Hon. Unless you're still married to her I'm not going to be mad. Hell, I wouldn't care if you were, I mean, I'd be a little pissed that you didn't _tell_ me first, but hey the more the merrier, right?” He joked.

“I'm really glad to hear you say that John.”

“Holy shit _are_ you still married?”

“No, no. We've been divorced for a few years now. We wanted different things in life. Kinda always knew we would, but there was a lot of pressure for us to get married.” He took a breath and looked into John's eyes, worry written all over his handsome face.

“It's okay.” John smiled.

“I have a son, his name is Phillip, he's six. I didn't know if you were going to stick around for very long, so I didn't say anything, and I didn't introduce you. The last guy I was with... Phillip got really attached to him and he up and left without a word... I didn't want to put him through that heartbreak again.” Alex's words came out in a rush, they always did when he was nervous, but John's smile never faded.

“I bet you're a great dad.” He leaned in for a kiss. There was that spark that John loved so much. “I'd love to meet him.”

“You- wait really? You would? Me having a kid doesn't freak you out?”

“Not at all. I have four brothers and sisters. And I always wanted a big family.” John glanced over at Lafayette and Hercules who were sitting in a couple lawn chairs near the fire, their heads close together while they talked. “Whenever you think the timing is right, bring him over for dinner and a movie night.”

“You are literally the best.” Alex's sigh of relief echoed in John's heart as he was pulled in for another tight hug.

“Don't say that just yet...” Alex looked looked at him curiously. “I kissed Hercules out there...” John looked down at his feet. “It was a spur of the moment thing... I-... Alex I don't know what to do...” Alex's fingers were laced tight with his, keeping him grounded. “Please say something.” He was just looking at him, his dark eyes thoughtful.

“Do you want to talk to him and Lafayette about it?” He finally asked.

“I don't know... I kinda ran off after that... I was scared... Angry at myself...”

“I get it.” Alex pulled him in for a kiss, slow and sweet and burning. They broke apart reluctantly when Lafayette called over that he was getting beers for everyone, and made their way over to the fire slowly, holding hands and leaning into each other.

“What took you so long?” Hercules joked as Lafayette handed him a beer.

“John Laurens, you are lucky that Hercules has calmed me down. You were going to get the scolding of a life time.” He grumbled, reluctantly handing Alex and John a bottle each.

“ _Je suis désolé Lafayette._ ” John hugged his friend and kissed both of his cheeks. “I didn't mean to scare y'all like that...” He looked down at his feet sheepishly. “I wasn't thinkin' when I turned my phone off.”

“All is forgiven.” A strange silence fell over them and John searched Lafayette's eyes, for what- he didn't know, but there was an air of contemplation about him that made him look over at Hercules -equally quiet- nervously.

“Guys.” Alex broke the silence. “I think we need to talk...”

 

XOXO

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. Yikes. This was getting a lot longer than I was expecting it to be, it's a little all over the place (don't worry, this will all be resolved I promise), and I didn't really plan on Alex and Eliza having Phillip in this fic but oops it happened. Sue me.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> *Él está bien Lobo. Abajo. == He's fine Lobo. Down.  
> *Lobo, Hércules llegado darle un abrazo. ¡Aúpa! == Lobo, come give Hercules a hug. Up!  
> *Ya sabes, eres muy afortunado de tener a John como su papá. Espero que como yo, robaba Me encanta tu papá mucho. == You know, you're very lucky to have a daddy like John. I hope you like me because I love your daddy very much.  
> *traer a == fetch  
> *¿Dónde estás? == Where are you?  
> *Si hice also mal, por favor, dime... Te amo... == If I did something wrong, please tell me... I love you...  
> *Où diable êtes-vous Laurens! Alex est sur le bor de la dépression! Il pense qu'il a fait quelque chose de mal! Je jure devant Dieu si je suis le seul à vous trouver, je vais tordre votre joli petit cou. == Where the fuck are you Laurens! Alex is on the verge of a break down! He thinks he did something wrong! I swear to god if I'm the one to find you I am going to wring your pretty little neck.  
> *Je suis désolé == I'm sorry.
> 
> Also 'Lobo' is just 'Wolf'. John is not very creative when it comes to names.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading and as always, feel free to leave comments, kudos and bookmarks and I love you all very much. See you in the next chapter!
> 
> Much Love,  
> Alex


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR FUCKS SAKE GUYS. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER.  
> The chapter where everyone is pining after each other and things gets MUCH filthier than I intended. Like. Wow. Rating had to be bumped up and I had to add some tags. I am full of sin please forgive me.  
> As always there are translations at the end of the chapter.  
> Enjoy!

XOXO

 

“Guys... I think we need to talk...” Lafayette and Hercules looked up at Alex, their brows knit together curiously.

“What about?” Hercules cast a glance over at John who looked straight down at his feet, not willing to meet anyone's eyes.

“I told him.” He muttered.

“You told him?” Lafayette and Hercules both sputtered, before looking at each other with wide eyes.

“I know what he told him, how do you know what he told him?” Lafayette rolled his bottle cap between his fingers, looking over at Herc who was staring down into his own beer like it held the secrets of the universe.

“You didn't tell him?” John asked.

“I said I wouldn't say anything.” He shrugged, taking a swig.

“I thought you just meant that you wouldn't say anything to Alex.”

“ _Que se passe-t-il_?” Lafayette stuck John with a stare that rendered him speechless then turned his gaze to Alex. “Alexander do you-?”

“I kissed Hercules.”

“John, it wasn't a one-sided-”

“Herc, shut up for a second okay?” John ran a hand over his eyes. “Look, Laf, I'm sorry. When Hercules came to find me we were talking, I fell asleep, and when I woke up, he tried to move me and I kissed him. I'm sorry.”

“And you didn't tell me?” Lafayette smacked Herc on the arm, but it was playful. “We could have been talking about this for the last _hour_ and you didn't tell me?”

“And you're not angry about this?” Hercules edged away, in case his boyfriend changed his mind. “You're not angry that I just kissed one of our friends?”

“ _Ch_ _é_ _rie, je suis Fran_ _ç_ _ais_.” Lafayette rolled his eyes. “Seriously, you thought I would be mad? You've seen me kiss Alex _and_ John on multiple occasions.”

“It wasn't that kind of kiss, Laf.”

“Oh?” He paused, his eyes going wide. “OH. Oooh.”

“You're still not mad?” Alex asked, sitting down in his own chair, John still standing there nervously with his beer.

“Are you mad Alexander?”

“Not really.” Alex shrugged. “I mean it's a little uneven now, but it's just a kiss. I feel like we're all close enough that it doesn't matter. It's not like we're stuck in a big 'no homo' loop or anything.”

“What do you mean by 'uneven'?” John finally sat down, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip. His nerves were fading with how relaxed Alex and Lafayette were, and Hercules was starting to lean back in his chair again too. He was going to be okay. Everything was fine.

“Well, I've kissed John- a lot- and I've kissed Lafayette. John's kissed me, and both of you. But Herc and I haven't kissed. I feel like I might be missing out.”

“You little minx!” Lafayette threw his bottle cap at Alex, hitting him on the forehead.

“You're one to talk!” Hercules scoffed, pushing him a little.

“Oh, you like it.” He ran his fingers down his arm.

“I honestly can't believe you're not even a little mad.” John tried to laugh but it got stuck in his throat. He wasn't okay. This wasn't okay. He was still panicking. He was still expecting everyone to turn on him. Alex was going to leave him and the three of them were going to get in Hercules' van and drive off, leaving him here alone.

“John, baby, relax.” Alex laughed. “Come on. Don't you trust me? Don't you trust us? Seriously, it's fine. I'm okay, Hercules is okay, Lafayette's French- so he's totally okay.” John sighed.

“This isn't exactly... Normal?”

“So our friendship is a little unconventional. So what?” Hercules shrugged. “Alex, c'mere.” He patted his knee and John swallowed down half of his beer in one go when his boyfriend went over to sit in their friend's lap. Lafayette was watching them, leaning back in his chair casually.

“He looks pretty in your lap.” He purred. “I bet John would look just as lovely. How about you come over here and sit with me John? It'll be nice, _non_? Cuddled up with your dear friends in front of a lovely fire.” He held his arms out and smiled. John rolled his eyes and sighed before copying Alex and going to sit in his lap. “There we are.” Lafayette wrapped John in a tight hug and smiled.

“Aww, you two look cute.” Alex leaned back against Hercules' shoulder. “Why are you dating a scrub lord like me when you could have dated this Adonis? You had the opportunity.”

“Mmm, why don't we trade?” Hercules teased, hooking his chin over Alex's shoulder. “Lafayette can have John for a little while and I'll have you all to myself.” John's heart felt like it was going to explode. This had to be a joke. Lafayette's hand's were on his waist and Hercules had his on Alex's. And this could not be happening.

“This is nice.” Alex reached over to take John's hand and smiled. He looked more relaxed than he had in a long time. “This is really nice.”

“Are you crying?” Lafayette took one hand off of John's waist and rubbed Alex's shoulder gently. “What is it _amour_?”

“I've... I've just never had friends like you guys before...”

 

…

 

John found him self stumbling up the stairs a few hours later with Alex's arm around his waist. They were laughing and bumping into each other and after each of them had given Lafayette and Hercules each a kiss goodnight, and he'd had about five beers, the guilt from earlier had rolled off of his shoulders.

“I still can't believe you got Hercules to sing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' all the way through.” He laughed.

“And where did _you_ learn to tango? That was a lovely surprise.” Alex kissed him on the cheek.

“With the daughter of the governor of North Carolina. Had to go to _a lot_ of diplomatic parties and my dad wanted me to learn how to dance and it was a mess.” He pushed open the bedroom door and went to lay down on the bed, spreading out and grinning.

“But you looked great. You and Lafayette. You both looked really good. You looked really, _really_ good together.” Alex was slurring a little as he laid down next to him and rested his hand on his chest.

“You're drunk honey.”

“ 'm not though. I think you two look really nice together. And you look good next to Herc too. Baby, listen. You look great with them. Hell you should be with them instead of me. Y'all look so good and here you are with me and-”

“Okay. First of all- you're super drunk. My accent is rubbing off on you-”

“You can rub off on me any time.”

“Oh shut up. Second- I love you. And I think you're the most handsome man in the entire world and you're the best, okay? Not many guys would be cool seeing their boyfriend kissing another man, or instigating it for that matter. Look, I love Herc and Laf, but I'm with you. And I'm not gonna leave you for either of them, and I'm sure they wouldn't break up with each other for me.”

“Not saying that they would have to. We should all just date.” Alex sighed, closing his eyes and resting against John's chest. “We should. That would solve everything.” If he could hear John's heart pounding away in his chest, he didn't say anything about it. John opened his mouth to respond but Alex was already asleep, snoring lightly.

“Good night Alexander.” He sighed, smiling a little and running his fingers through his hair. “I love you, you crazy moron...”

 

…

 

“Hercules, _mon cher_ , we need to talk about this.” Lafayette was pacing, wringing his hands. “ _S'il vous pla_ _î_ _t_.”

“Calm down.” Hercules had never seen him this wound up. “There's nothing to talk about, okay? Darling. We've already talked about this.” He put his hands on Lafayette's shoulders to hold him still. “We can't do anything to them. They are so in love, we can't come between them.”

“ _Qu'est-ce que je ne donnerais pas_ _à_ _venir entre eux_.” Lafayette groaned, resting his head against Herc's chest.

“Okay. I have no idea what you just said but given the context I would guess that you're being filthy and horrible and we need to _stop this_.”

“I'm sorry... It's just... It's so hard...”

“I know, I know...”

 

…

 

Breakfast the next morning was a shockingly quiet affair. John shuffled downstairs before Alex even woke up and was given a sleepy greeting from Lafayette who was hunched over the coffee maker.

“Hercules still in bed?” He asked through a yawn.

“ _Oui..._ ”

“Alex too.” John busied himself with pulling out pancake mix and a carton of juice. “Did you sleep well? The mattresses are a little old, I haven't gotten around to buying new ones yet.”

“It was just fine _mon ami_.” Lafayette smiled, taking the juice from him, their finger tips brushing for the barest fraction of a second and Lafayette looked down into his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something but instead just nodded and went to pour himself a glass of juice.

Alex was the next to join them, stumbling and almost falling down the stairs. He pulled himself up onto a bar stool and Lafayette slid a cup of coffee over to him.

“ _Merci_.” His voice cracked a little and he cleared his throat to clear the sleep from it. “Any plans for today hon?” He asked John.

“Not really. Was gonna take you guys around the property a little and show you all the animals we have here.” He smiled and leaned over the counter to give Alex a quick kiss on the cheek. “Lafayette I know you were excited to see the cats, any other requests?”

“Just bury me in kittens and I'll be a happy man.”

“What about Herc?” Alex asked around a sip of coffee. “Laf, you missed your calling. Drop this law bull shit and go open a coffee shop.”

“He likes birds. _Alexandre,_ if I left that office you would be in a fist fight with Jefferson before the door even closed behind me. You need backup _mon petit lion._ ”

“Eliza's my backup! C'mon Laf, the woman is far more intimidating than you, let's be real here.”

“Yeah, you're right.” Lafayette relented, sitting down next to him.

“Morning kids.” Hercules was the only one of the four of them that seemed to have any life in him. He wasn't shuffling around, his voice wasn't cracked and hoarse. John envied him.

“Sleep well?” He asked, flipping the pancakes.

“Like a rock.” He smiled back, stretching his arms up over his head. John was doing everything in his power to keep from staring at his bare chest and Alex was in a similar predicament judging by how intently he was staring at his phone.

“So... You like birds?” John tried to keep the conversation flowing so he wouldn't dwell on the events of the night before.

“Yeah. They're pretty interesting. You have any up here?”

“A couple hawks, a raven and some owls. We actually just got one in a few weeks ago. We were going to rehab her then release her but her injuries were too serious so it looks like she'll be sticking around for good. We haven't named her yet, if you wanted to pick a name for her.” Herc's eyes lit up at that.

“That would be awesome!” He grinned. John smiled as he handed out plates of pancakes and pulled syrup and butter out of the fridge. Two bites in and he realized that pancakes were a mistake. He hadn't eaten a heavy breakfast like this in a long time and he knew it would sit badly in his stomach later if he didn't burn it off right away.

“Anyone wanna come on a quick run with me?” He asked warily as he rinsed off his plate. “I don't want a repeat of last night.” He added.

“I'll come along.” Hercules joined him at the sink and John pretended to miss the look Lafayette gave him. “I haven't been on an actual run in such a long time.”

“Dude you're at the gym like, every other day.” Alex quirked an eyebrow at him.

“I hardly ever do any cardio though. It's mostly weight training.”

“No wonder you're a fucking beast. You are slow though. You were nowhere near me last night. Think you can keep up today?” John teased. Lafayette was silent.

“As long as you don't go at a dead sprint the whole fucking way, hell yeah. I'm built for long runs. Not so much short bursts. Every now and then.” This time the corner of Lafayette's mouth twitched up into a little smile. He was still watching them closely though. Was he angry about the night before? Had he fought with Herc about it?

' _No..._ ' He thought. ' _I would have heard it. These walls aren't exactly thick._ '

“I'll hang out here with Laf then.” Alex was pouring himself a second cup of coffee and now Hercules was giving _him_ a look. John frowned but brushed it off, heading back upstairs to change into a pair of shorts and a tanktop, Hercules only a few steps behind him.

“What trail did you want to take?” He asked, coming out of his room wearing sweats and a tank top that looked like it had been painted on.

“Same one I took last night, but all the way through. Total round trip on that is a little more than a mile and a half.”

“Sounds like a plan.” John squeezed past Hercules to get to the stairs first, taking them down two at a time and skidding across the hardwood floors in his socks over to Alex to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I'll see you in a bit.” He smiled. “I love you.” Alex's kiss felt like a claim, and the air was punched from John's lungs.

“I love you too. Keep your phone on this time?” Alex left his finger's tangled in John's hair.

“Will do baby.” John leaned back in for another kiss, nipping a little at his boyfriend's lower lip. “ _Usted debe venir ducha conmigo cuando vuelva_.” He whispered against his mouth.

“ _Usted es sucio y te quiero_.” Alex whined.

“Hey! You two are terrible.” Lafayette huffed.

“Now you know how I feel when you three get going.” Hercules gave Lafayette a quick kiss before following John out the door.

“You ready old man?” John teased from where he was sitting in the grass stretching.

“Dude. I'm thirty-one. I'm not that much older than you.”

“Old man.” He grinned.

“Well then. This old man is about to kick your ass kid.” Hercules grunted, pulling one arm across his chest then the other, flexing a little more than he really needed to. John couldn't tell if he was showing off or trying to intimidate him. Either way, he raised an eyebrow like he wasn't impressed (he was).

“I can outrun you.”

“But for how long? You're a sprinter right?”

“I did long distance cross country too, but yes. I am a sprinter.” John leaned forward to wrap his fingers over his toes, his back arching with the stretch. “It's always helpful to be able to do both.” He pushed himself to his feet and stretched his arms over his head one final time. “Alright. Let's do this.”

This time John didn't start at a dead sprint. He had nothing to prove yet. He kept a slow easy pace with Hercules for the most part, speeding up now and then to pull ahead. It wasn't _really_ a race, but he liked the challenge. Hercules was much better suited to this. His pace was more constant, he didn't look nearly as exhausted as John felt at the halfway mark, and he was ahead again by a few yards.

“What's up Laurens? Thought you were gonna run me into the ground.” He teased over his shoulder.

“Oh just you wait.” John shouted back. “Last quarter mile, your ass is goin' down!”

“Right.”

“Don't make me jump on you! I'll make you carry me the rest of the way back.” He huffed, catching up again.

“I bet Alex and Laf would love to see that.” Hercules laughed.

“Maybe next time.” John was thanking his lucky stars that he had caught up to Hercules so he wouldn't have to keep himself from staring at his back... with his wide, well muscled shoulders and the way his already tight tank top clung to his back with sweat. It was maddening.

“Quarter mile mark coming up John. If you're going to make your move you better do it now.” Hercules warned, his pace picking up.

“Nah. I'll let you tire yourself out first.” John grinned.

“Babe. I could go another mile. Don't test me.”

“Up hill?”

“Fuck yeah.”

“Sure.” John shook his head, the hill around the bend was steep and he always had trouble taking it after a long run. His legs were already screaming in protest, but he pushed himself to speed up when he saw Hercules slowing down ahead of him. By the time they reached the top of the hill, John had gained a pretty substantial lead on Hercules and when the ground evened out and he could see the main building of the center, he broke into a sprint.

“Fuck!” He heard Hercules cuss after him, his footsteps speeding up. “You little shit!”

“Told you!” John hit the end of the trail and saw Alex and Lafayette waiting on the porch. “Yo!” He called.

“First one back gets a beer!” Alex called back, his hands cupped around his mouth. John didn't bother answering, he needed to run. He knew that it was a silly race between friends but memories from high school track meets came flooding back and with them, came his old competitive edge. He hadn't raced anyone in a long time, other than trying to beat his own times, and it felt great to hear Hercules behind him and Alex ahead, cheering him on. He jumped up on the porch a few seconds before Hercules and something tugged at his heart when Alex grabbed him. There had never been anyone waiting for him at the finish line. Even his own family stayed high up in the stands. No one had ever rushed over to hug him, not minding that he was drenched in sweat. Had he told Alex that? He couldn't remember. Either way, it was nice to have Alex wrapping him in a tight hug and telling him that he had done good.

“Damn you're fast.” Hercules clapped him on his back, grinning and out of breath. “Good run man.”

“Thanks. You're not half bad yourself.” John smiled back while Lafayette handed Alex a small stack of bills. “Did you guys bet on us?”

“But of course! How could we not.”

“You two are ridiculous.” Hercules dropped down into one of the chairs on the porch and tipped his head back with a sigh. “It's nice out.”

“Well you two can chill out here. I'm going to take a shower.” John plucked at his tank top and headed back inside, Alex hot on his heels.

“Don't fall.” Lafayette teased, sitting in the chair next to Hercules. John rolled his eyes and made for the stairs, stopping at the top when Alex grabbed his hand and turned him around.

“Yes?”

“You look really fucking good when you're running.” Alex breathed, stepping up one more step so he was at John's level, and pulled him in for a kiss.

“Wait until I get at least a little rinsed off.” John protested weakly, letting his lips brush over his boyfriend's. “I'm gross.”

“Don't care.” John stumbled back when Alex's lips crashed against his again. It felt so much like their first kiss that it tugged at his heart a little. It was all teeth and a hungry growl from Alex and it made his heart race. “You're perfect just like this.”

“I just ran a mile and a half babe. I'm super gross.” John backed up, Alex keeping in step with him until he bumped the bathroom door open with his hip.

“Fuck... John...” Alex groaned when John pressed back up against him, gripping his hips tight.

“You're already hard?” He teased, kissing Alex's shoulder and dragging his nails down his back.

“I've been hard since you left.” Alex groaned back. “Been waiting for you to come home. You promised me a shower.” John shuddered when Alex set his teeth against his neck, not biting, just dragging them slowly across his skin. When they kissed again, John could taste the salt from his skin on Alex's lips. “Let's get you out of this.” Alex hooked his fingers under the edge of John's tank top and pulled it up over his head, throwing it over into the corner of the bathroom and running his fingertips down his chest. “Fucking gorgeous.” He breathed.

“Fucking tease.” John hissed back when Alex leaned down to lick at his nipple.

“ _Nunca te burlan si yo no iba a seguir adelante con ella_.”Alex smirked up at him, cupping his cock through his shorts and nibbling at his collarbone before licking up his throat and pulling him in for another deep kiss.

“ _Te amo_.” John gasped, rocking his hips against Alex's hand.

“ _Yo tambi_ _é_ _n te amo_.” He smiled, pulling away to turn on the shower. “How thick are these walls?”

“Why?”

“I don't want them to hear you scream.” Alex pushed John up against the wall and John was sure he could feel his heart racing behind his ribs.

“Then I wont scream.”

“Oh, but I _want_ you to scream. I love hearing you when you come undone for me.” Alex's voice was rough as he grabbed his hips and pressed his hard cock against his thigh.

“Fuck!”

“John, please get in the shower or I'm going to blow you right now no matter what you say.”

“You have such a way with words.” John snorted, letting his shorts fall to the floor and stepping under the spray. One of Alexander's many talents was getting the water temperature right every time without even needing to check. How he did it, John would never know, but it was a gift and he wasn't about to question it.

“You want me to get all poetic about how much I love your dick? Because I will. Don't test me.” Alex shot back, stripping down and joining him in the shower.

“I think I'll pass on the dick poetry for now.” He grinned cupping Alex's ass in his hands and pulling him up against his chest.

“Pity.” Alex hummed, running his fingers back through John's wet curls and rolling his hips forward to grind their cocks together smoothly. “Should I just-?” he knelt down, kissing his way down John's chest and belly.

“Please...” John let out a little whine and braced himself with one hand on Alex's shoulder and the other pressed to the slick tile wall behind him.

“Anything for you.”

 

...

 

Lafayette gripped the remote a little tighter and clicked up the volume on the TV a couple notches when he heard a sugar sweet moan that could only belong to John drift down to the living room.

“What do you think they're doing?” Hercules looked like he was trying to play off the question as a joke but Lafayette could see his fist clenching and unclenching next to his thigh, and he knew _exactly_ what was happening upstairs.

“ _Il est pas de mes affaires_.” He shrugged and kept his eyes fixed on the screen. “None of my business.” He added.

“You're not even a little curious?”

“Well I can't say that I'm not. But I'm not about to go find out.” He scoffed.

“You want to.” Hercules teased, putting an arm around his shoulders and pulling him in close, kissing the side of his neck. “I want to.” He breathed.

“You also said we need to stop.” Lafayette snapped. “We agreed. We're not going to think about them. We're not going to do anything about it. We're going to leave it alone. We need to...”

“I know but-” Hercules was cut off by another stuttered moan from John. He took a deep breath and stood. “I'm going back outside.” He almost growled.

“ _Mon amour_ wait...” Lafayette grabbed his wrist. “Stay here. With me.” He pulled him down and kissed him. “Stay.”

 

...

 

“F-Fuck... Alex!” John tangled his fingers in Alexander's hair and tugged when he sank down further on his dick, moaning around him. “B-babe... Alexander. _Eres tan jodidamente bueno..._ ” He made to pull back but John kept his grip tight. “Don't stop. Please. Please don't stop.” He moaned. Alex groaned and took his cock to the back of his throat. “So good... Good boy, Alexander.” There was a sharp intake of breath from Alex who pulled away before John could stop him and looked up at him, his eyes wide.

“What?”

“S-Sorry. It just slipped out. Was that not-”

“Say it again.” Alex breathed against his hip, looking up at him. “Please John.”

“You're such a good boy Alexander.” John put a hand on Alex's cheek, his thumb brushing over his lips. “You like this? You like being praised?”

“Yes.” Alex gasped and licked at the thumb resting on his lip.

“I always thought you liked giving it out more.” John mused.

“I'm all about it. Don't stop.” Alex's pupils were blown wide and he kept eye contact with John as he wrapped his lips around his cock again and took it to the back of his throat.

“Holy shit... Yes.” He hissed out. “Just like that.” He moaned and tipped his head back, the spray of the shower hitting him on one side, warming him there while goosebumps cropped up on his other side. “I love your mouth Alexander. It's so fucking perfect.” Alex moaned around his cock, his eyes closed as he bobbed his head up and down the length slowly. He pulled off with a little 'pop' and licked up over the tip.

“ _En espa_ _ñ_ _ol_.” He begged, his hands wandering up the back of John's thighs and cupping his ass in a tight grip.

“ _Mierda Alex..._ ”

“ _Dime lo que necesita, John_.” Alex shot him a wicked smirk and John's heart jumped in his chest. Even though Alex was giving him the reigns, he was still in charge. He had all the power. Alex would always have John wrapped around his finger, and he loved it.

“ _Te necesito cogerme_.” He moaned.

“ _S_ _é que sé. Te tengo a mi amor_.” Alex took him back into his mouth and spread his ass one finger pressing against his hole gently.

“Yes...” John urged. “ _Por favor_.” Two fingers pressed in deep and John let out a choked cry, shaking and coming down Alexander's throat before he knew what was happening. Alex swallowed around him and he whimpered, twitching and squirming. “A-Alex... Alex wait-” He begged.

“One more John.” Alex rested his forehead against John's hip, dropping little kisses there and scissoring his fingers slowly. “ _Uno más para mí_.”

“I- I can't. Alex I need a minute.” He gasped.

“You can do it. C'mon.” He crooked his fingers, pushing in deeper and licking up the side of John's cock, taking the head into his mouth, his tongue working over the tip slowly, his free hand stroking what wasn't in his mouth in a loose grip.

“I-I...”

“That's it. Come for me John. Come on. Please baby. I just want you to feel good. That's all I want.”

“Shit!” John's back arched and he gasped, biting back a loud moan. The first spurt of come landing on Alex's cheek before he turned to catch the rest on his tongue, that wicked gleam back in his eyes when he looked up at John's face again. “You fucking filthy, perfect, man.” John wiped the stray bit of come off of Alex's cheek with his thumb and forced the finger between his lips and keeping it there until he swallowed. “Such a good boy.”

“I love you.” Alex panted, standing and kissing the corner of his boyfriend's mouth. “You're shaking.” He laughed a little, gripping his hip with one hand, holding him close, reaching over to grab his shampoo with the other. “You wanna sit down?” John nodded, not able to find his voice, clinging tight to Alex's shoulders. “C'mon.” He guided John down to sit between his legs, scrubbing shampoo into his hair once he was comfortable.

The rest of their shower was soft touches, little kisses that lingered only a moment too long to be considered chaste. John leaned against the wall while Alex turned off the water and climbed out, drying off and wrapping himself in a towel before he turned to offer a hand.

“You coming?”

“In a minute. Gotta get my knees back.” John smiled. Alex nodded and leaned over, giving him a quick kiss and leaving the bathroom to go get dressed.

 

Once John felt like he could walk again, he finished drying off and wrapped a towel around his waist, walking down the hall to his room where Alex was waiting for him, fully dressed with an over satisfied smirk.

“Welcome back.” He teased.

“Oh shut up.” John hucked his towel in the direction of the bed, grinning to himself when he heard Alex sputter, pulling on a clean pair of boxers, then his shorts over them.

“You look good just like that. Just walk straight out the door.” Alex piped up while John dug around for a shirt. He rolled his eyes and pulled an old track tank top over his head, reaching up to tie his hair back into a ponytail, but Alex grabbed his wrist and kissed his knuckles before he could get it all gathered up.

“What?” He turned to look Alex in the eyes.

“You should wear your hair down more often.” He smiled. “It looks nice like this.” He leaned in and brushed his nose against John's, kissing the freckles scattered across his cheeks.

“You think so?” John ran his fingers back through Alex's still damp hair. “If I wear my hair down you have to wear yours down. And so does Lafayette.” He grinned. Alex laughed and kissed the tip of his nose.

“Deal.”

 

...

 

“The shower's off. I think they'll be back down soon.” Hercules muttered against Lafayette's chest, biting another mark into his skin.

“Then stop-” gasp “-stop _teasing_!” Lafayette panted out, arching up against him, grinding against his thigh. “Hurry up and let me get off, _s'il vous plaît_.”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

“I'm not going to let you get off. Not yet.”

“Why you son of a-” Lafayette broke off with a sharp gasp when Hercules bit down around his nipple and sucked, his large hands holding his hips still easily. “ _Merde_!” He hissed out between his teeth. “Hercules! _Please_!” He whined.

“Not yet, _mon amour_.” Lafayette shivered. Hercules hadn't managed to pick up much French and usually his pronunciation needed a lot of work, but when his voice got all low and gravely like this and he was pressing a thigh between his legs and holding him down, Lafayette didn't care. It was the most beautiful sound in the world.

“Why?”

“Maybe I want them to see you like this.”

“You can't be serious!”

“No.” Hercules chuckled. “But I do want them to hear you. If we have to listen to them doing god knows what in the shower, I want John to hear you coming for me on his couch.”

“You are a monster.” Lafayette huffed. “And what if they come down? What then?”

“Then they get to see what I love seeing every night.” Herc's hands wandered up his sides and over his chest. “They get to see how absolutely fucking beautiful you are. You want that don't you Lafayette?” His name sounded like the sweetest prayer drenched in sin falling from Hercules' lips against his ear. “You want them to see you coming for me. You want them to want you. To want us. Isn't that right?”

“ _Oui_... Yes... God yes.” Hercules pressed his thigh harder against Lafayette who ground up to meet him.

“Go ahead and get yourself off for me.” He bit gently at the side of his neck, just below his ear. Lafayette reached for the button of his jeans but his hand was stopped and Hercules planted a soft kiss on his wrist.

“Herc-”

“Leave them on.”

“ _Merde_...” Lafayette gasped and rocked his hips up again, his head falling back over the arm of the couch. “ _Vous êtes sale_.” He moaned.

“English, baby.”

“You're filthy.” He repeated. A hand crept up from his chest, abandoning his nipples in favor of wrapping gently around his neck.

“Color?”

“ _Vert_.”

“Good.” Hercules' fingers tightened around his throat and Lafayette shuddered, coming in his jeans and moaning, his nails digging into Herc's shoulders. “That's it baby. That's it.” He groaned against his neck, peppering his soft skin with kisses. “Come for me my love.” Lafayette was almost sobbing under him and he smirked, taking his hand away from his neck as the faintest hint of wetness showing up on the dark fabric of his jeans.

“ _Mon Dieu_...” Lafayette panted, sinking into the couch. “I'll get you back for that.”

“Get him back for what?” John's slow Southern drawl from the bottom of the stairs caught their attention and Hercules scrambled back while Lafayette tried to casually lay a hand over his lap, biting the inside of his cheek when he felt the evidence of what he had done under his palm.

“Ah, nothing.” He smiled and shook his head. “Just something silly we were arguing about.” John raised an eyebrow but shrugged, heading for the kitchen, Alex following him and shooting Lafayette a knowing look.

 

…

 

“Take a shot John, you've got to be lying.” Alex grinned, shakily pouring out another shot for his boyfriend.

“I am not!” John slurred. “I really ran away from home and lived with a stripper for a month when I was seventeen!” The day had passed, neither couple mentioning how much they had heard of that morning's activities and Hercules, Lafayette, and Alex all watching John wistfully while he walked them through the property and talked about his animals. They were sitting around a small table on the porch with a bottle of whiskey and a shot glass each, trying to catch each other in lies. It all felt very juvenile at first but after a few shots each, it seemed like a great idea and there was no shortage of laughter.

“You did?!”

“Yeah, my friend Maria. She was a stripper for a little while. All y'all take a shot.” John pointed at each of his friends grinning.

“Well shit kid, that's fucking crazy.” Hercules laughed and tipped back his shot. “Alright Laf. Your turn.”

“I-” he drew out the syllable, “have never had a three-way.” His accent was thicker than usual, as was John's. “Never.” He insisted. Alex had his head down on his arm and was laughing so hard John was sure he was crying.

“That's gotta be a lie.” John shook his head. “I don't believe it for a second.”

“You caught me.” Lafayette laughed and took his shot.

“Who was it with?” Hercules prompted. Alex shot straight up.

“Don't!” He shouted at the same time that Lafayette answered- “Alexander and Thomas.”

“What!?” Hercules and John turned on Alex who had his face in his hands and was groaning.

“Lafayette, _pourquoi_?” He whined. Lafayette slapped the table, doubled over, tears trailing down his cheeks from laughing.

“You fucked _Thomas Jefferson_!?” Alex didn't take his face out of his hands.

“It was a long time ago okay? I was very drunk.”

“Shot, _amour_.” Lafayette grinned. “You barely even drank back then. You were sober.” Alex groaned again and took his shot begrudgingly. “Your turn, Hercules.”

“I've never considered a poly relationship.” He was straight faced, staring straight at John. The table fell silent. Lafayette and Alex exchanged a look.

“Neither have I.” They added together. John reached for the bottle and poured out four shots.

“Me neither.” He threw back his shot and his friends followed suit.

“Was that your idea of an icebreaker?” Alex muttered, looking down into his glass. There was another prolonged silence. “I'll take that as a yes.”

“Yeah. Look. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Lafayette and I both have actually.” Hercules reached over to take his boyfriend's hand, his thumb trailing over his knuckles gently. “We've been trying to figure out how to bring it up.”

“Are you serious?” John picked at his nails and chewed his lower lip, frowning across the table at the other couple who nodded in unison.

“John, _mon ami_ , we have... how would you say... _Hercules et moi avons des sentiments pour vous deux_...”

“Honey...”

“Pardon... We have significant feelings for both of you. We've been talking about asking you to join us for a while now.” John and Alex stared at the two of them for a moment before looking at each other and moving a little closer together.

“To be honest, we've talked about it too.” Alex fiddled with his glass.

“It's about time we talked about it together.” John added.

“Look, it's not like anything would really be changing. We're all close already.” Hercules tapped his fingertips on the table top. “You said so yourself Alex.”

“I did.”

“What do you think?” Lafayette pried, leaning forward.

“I think we should try it.” John smiled, leaning on Alex's shoulder. “Alex and I have pretty significant feelings for you two, too.” Alex returned the smile and nodded.

“We should talk more, negotiate terms and such, when we're not as drunk.” Hercules shook his head, grinning and pouring the rest of the bottle into the four shot glasses. “For now. We drink. We celebrate. To new beginnings. To love. To us.”

“To us!”

 

XOXO

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy I'm exhausted. This is the end of First Trip but there will be more in the next instillation of the “A Little Unconventional” series.  
> I did not mean for it to get as filthy as it got but heeeeyyyyyyy. It's what I do.
> 
> Translations (holy fuck I don't even want to do this but I gotta, everything with an * is in Spanish):
> 
> Que se passe-t-il? – What is going on?  
> Qu'est-ce que je ne donnerais pas à venir entre eux. – What I wouldn't give to come between them.  
> *Usted debe venir ducha conmigo cuando vuelva. – You should come shower with me when I come back.  
> *Usted es sucio y te quiero. – You're filthy and I love you.  
> *Nunca te burlan si yo no iba a seguir adelante con ella. – I would never tease you if I wasn't going to follow through with it.  
> *Mierda. – Holy shit.  
> *Dime lo que necesita. – Tell me what you need.  
> *Te necesito cogerme. – I need you to fuck me.  
> *Sé que sé. Te tengo a mi amor. – I know, I know. I've got you my love.
> 
> Welp. It's time for me to go to bed. Our boys are talking, yes things are going well, no need to worry. We good.
> 
> As always, I love you all, and I live for your comments, kudos and bookmarks, so leave those things and come yell with me on Tumblr (same username). See you next time!
> 
> Much love,  
> Alex

**Author's Note:**

> OH BOY. IS THAT SEXUAL TENSION!? IT MIGHT BE.  
> I had to cut this one a little short because it's bed time.
> 
> Translations:
> 
> *Eh bien, le beau garçon du Sud décent aivait dû savior mieux que de laisser un homme dangereuxdans sa belle maison. == Well the nice decent Southern boy should have known better than to let a dangerous man into his lovely home.  
> *Je suppise que je devrais avoir. == I suppose I should have.  
> *Comment vas-tu mon amour? == How are you my love?  
> *Vraiment super. John et je viens de dire Je t'aime pour la premiére fois == Really great. John and I just said I love you for the first time.  
> *Félicitations mon amour == Congratulations my love!  
> *Je vous ai dit qu'il vous traiter droit == I told you he would treat you right.  
> *nous dire à nouveau combien Hercules est au lit == tell us again how great Hercules is in bed  
> *Vous êtes terrible == You're terrible
> 
> *¿lo que es amor mal? == what's wrong sweetheart?  
> *estoy bien. No se preocupe. == I'm fine. Don't worry.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading, and please be sure to leave kudos, comments and give this a bookmark if you liked it!
> 
> Much love,  
> Alex


End file.
